 "Nikki Haley (Photo: Wikipedia)")
US President-elect Donald Trump has picked South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has little foreign policy experience and who sharply criticised him during his election campaign, for the high-profile post of US ambassador to the United Nations.
The Republican president-elect praised Haley in a statement on Wednesday as having “a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country.” Haley said she had accepted the offer and would remain governor pending her confirmation to the Cabinet-level post by the US Senate.
A 44-year-old Republican, Haley took Trump to task during the presidential campaign over his harsh rhetoric about illegal immigrants and for not speaking forcefully enough against white supremacists.
On Wednesday, she said in a statement, “When the president believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of our nation, and to our nation's standing in the world, that is a calling that is important to heed.”
Haley is the sixth appointment announced by Trump, a New York real estate magnate who has never held public office, as he works to form an administration following his victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election. Trump takes over from President Barack Obama, a Democrat, on Jan. 20.
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The president-elect, working largely out of his office in Manhattan, has made his deliberations for senior jobs a public affair, issuing a daily list of his meetings and announcing some impressions of potential candidates on Twitter. All his picks so far have been white men.
The choice of Haley, a daughter of Indian immigrants who is a voice for tolerance, may be aimed at countering criticism of Trump's divisive comments about immigrants and minorities, as well as accusations of sexism during his campaign.
Haley led an effort last year to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston. The flag was carried by pro-slavery Confederate forces during the U.S. Civil War and is viewed by many as a racist emblem.
She condemned Trump during the Republican primary campaign to pick the presidential nominee for not disavowing the support of white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan and one of its former leaders, David Duke.
In her rebuttal to Obama's State of the Union address in January, Haley called for tolerance on immigration and civility in politics, in what some saw as a rebuke of Trump.
“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” she said. “We must resist that temptation.”
In the early days of the Republican primary contest, Haley was mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick.
She supported Trump rivals Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both U.S. senators, in the primary before saying last month she would vote for Trump despite reservations about his character.
Haley also criticized Trump last winter for not releasing his tax returns, prompting him to hit back on Twitter, “The people of South Carolina are embarrassed of Nikki Haley!”
